What is the nature and social role of women? In today's Shi'ism, these questions are often answered through the "separate-but- equal" ideology which emphasizes the role of women as wives and mothers, and places men in authority. But is this the only ideology which can be derived from Shi'i scriptural sources? This book takes a more nuanced approach to that question by exploring how women are portrayed in hadith on ancient sacred narrative - the stories of the prophets. It shows far more diverse views on what it means to be a woman (and, by extension, a man) - and that early Shi'is held competing views about ideals for women.

After living for more than two decades in the Middle East, pastor, author and college Arabic instructor Mike Kuhn wonders if there can be a fresh vision for the Muslim world--one not rooted in media lies or personal fears but in the values of Christ's kingdom. Is the only option to fight, to eradicate, to judge? Or can the mindset of confrontation give way to one of incarnation? InFresh Vision for the Muslim World, Kuhn challenges readers to love the Muslims down the street and across the world with the love of Christ. Kuhn's vast experience and research show readers that Muslims today have the same hopes and spiritual needs as any of us. With practical suggestions, Kuhn helps readers leave the path of isolation, fear and self-preservation and choose a less-traveled road: a path of self-awareness, empathy, and deep listening. Choosing the latter path is radical. It is difficult. And it is a step toward seeing Jesus Christ receive his rightful place of honor among a people longing to know him.

There is a cognitive deficit between the holistic vision for human and societal development in Islam and the results achieved by Muslim societies. The authors begin by looking at the Western concept of development, which in recent years has recognized the wider dimensions of human development and the role of institutions. Thus Western thinking has moved toward the Islamic vision and path of development, emphasizing human solidarity, belonging, wellbeing, sharing, concern for others, basic human entitlements, and modest living. The authors illuminate the Quranic vision and the experience of the society organized by the Prophet, which together represent the Islamic paradigm.

In contrast to much of the Muslim world, a majority of Turks consider Islam to be primarily a matter of personal choice and private belief. How did such an arrangement come about? Moreover, most observant Muslims in Turkey do not see such a conception and practice of Islam as illegitimate. Why not? "Islam and Modernity in Turkey" addresses these questions through an ethnographic study of Islamic discourses and practices and their articulation with mass media in Turkey, against the background of late Ottoman and early Republican precedents. This ground-breaking book sheds new light on issues of commensurability and difference in culture, religion, and history, and reformulates our understanding of Islam, secularism, and public life in Turkey, the Muslim world, and Europe.

Post 9/11, sales of translations of the Qur'an have greatly increased. Students and general readers alike are increasingly interested in the sacred writings of Islam. But the Qur'an can often make difficult reading. It lacks continuous narrative, and different types of material dealing with different topics are often found in the same chapter. Also, readers often attempt to read the book from start to finish and without any knowledge of the life and experiences of both Muhammad and the community of Islam. Introductions to the Qur'an attempt to make interpretation of these complex scriptures easier by discussing context, history and different interpretations, and presenting selective textual examples. Bennett's new introduction takes a fresh approach to studying the Qur'an. By reordering parts of the Qur'an, placing its chapters and verses into a continuous narrative, the author creates a framework that untangles and elucidates its seemingly unconnected content. Through this new approach the reader will come to understand various aspects of the Qur'an's interpretation, from Muhammad's life, to Muslim conduct and prayer, to legal considerations.

Turkish Islamic leader Fethullah Gulen offers a distinctive view of responsibility, which is explored here for the first time. Simon Robinson shows how Gulen's writings, influenced by both orthodox Islam and the Sufi tradition, contribute a dynamic, holistic and interactive view of responsibility which locates personal identity, agency and freedom in plural relationships. The Spirituality of Responsibility also explores the practice of responsibility in Gulen's life and in the Hizmet movement which he founded. Gulen has been at the centre of many controversies, including in his Movement's relationship with the Turkish government. Charting Gulen's response, from the Israeli Gaza blockade through to more recent crises, the book critiques aspects of both this practice and underlying ideas, and argues that responsibility, focused in dialogue and peace-building, is continuing to evolve in the leadership and practice of the movement, providing a challenge to conventional views of governance and responsibility. This book is an important contribution both to the theological and philosophical debate about responsibility but also to the practice of responsibility focused in creative action, debates in business and contemporary society about responsible governance and enterprise.

The volume's unifying theme, inspired by the scholarly legacy of Professor Devin DeWeese, and indeed the subject of all the contributions, is the history of religion among the Muslim peoples of Inner and Central Asia, grounded in ignored or hitherto unknown indigenous sources. Individually, and as a whole, the articles pay tribute to DeWeese's pathbreaking contributions to the disciplines of history and religious studies by exploring new approaches and new sources to build on this legacy. The volume pays particular attention to DeWeese's point d'appui: the centrality of Sufism in the region's religious, social, and literary history. The volume's focus is thus twofold: to bring a new set of rich, largely unused materials into the scholarly domain among specialists on Central Asia, and to challenge historians of Islam to recognize that understanding the religious history of Central Asia, and Sufism in particular, is crucial in evaluating the Islamic world as a whole. Contributors: Peter B. Golden, Jurgen Paul, Ron Sela, Nicholas Walmsley, Jo-Ann Gross, Daniel Beben, Jeff Eden, Jamal Elias, Michael Kemper, Paolo Sartori, Eren Tasar, Stephane A. Dudoignon, Allen J. Frank

This companion volume to the highly successful Islam in Malaysian Foreign Policy explores the extent to which foreign policy in the world's largest Muslim nation has been influenced by Islamic considerations.

For generations, Central Asian Muslims have told legends of medieval rulers who waged war, died in battle, and achieved sainthood. Among the Uyghurs of East Turkistan (present-day Xinjiang, China), some of the most beloved legends tell of the warrior-saint Satuq Bughra Khan and his descendants, the rulers of the Qarakhanid dynasty. To this day, these tales are recited at the saints' shrines and retold on any occasion. Warrior Saints of the Silk Road introduces this rich literary tradition, presenting the first complete English translation of the Qarakhanid narrative cycle along with an accessible commentary. At once mesmerizing, moving, and disturbing, these legends are essential texts in Central Asia's religious heritage as well as fine, enduring works of mystical literature.

This booklet was not conceived with a motive or intent to appease, antagonize, or charm. It was written for the specific purpose of alerting denominative Muslims to a variety of self-inflicted injuries that have emanated from the ineptness to effectively address those obtrusive impediments that have progressively eroded the spiritual affinity once shared by Muslims.

The Saudi "ulama" are known for their strong opposition to Shi'a theology, Shi'a communities in Saudi Arabia, and external Shi'a influences such as Iran and Hezbollah. Their potent hostility, combined with the influence of the 'ulama' within the Saudi state and the Muslim world, has led some commentators to blame the Saudi 'ulama' for what they see as growing sectarian conflict in the Middle East. However, there is very little understanding of what reasoning lies behind the positions of the 'ulama' and there is a significant gap in the literature dealing with the polemics directed at the Shi'a by the Saudi religious establishment. In Saudi Clerics and Shi'a Islam, Raihan Ismail looks at the discourse of the Saudi "ulama" regarding Shiism and Shi'a communities, analysing their sermons, lectures, publications and religious rulings. The book finds that the attitudes of the "ulama" are not only governed by their theological convictions regarding Shiism, but are motivated by political events involving the Shi'a within the Saudi state and abroad. It also discovers that political events affect the intensity and frequency of the rhetoric of the ulama at any given time.

This volume, in honour of Professor Elena Lourie, focuses on various areas of interaction between Jews, Muslims and Christians in the late medieval Crown of Aragon and its environs. The articles deal with topics such as war, military campaigns, government, politics, and economics, relations between scholars of the different faiths and their sources, sexual relations and the politics of conversion, mythology and music. Other articles touch on issues such as vassalage, mercenaries, fiscal politics, communal politics and the inquisition. This book presents a mosaic of studies written by three generations of scholars who, using a broad variety of sources and methodologies, examine areas of great interest to Elena Lourie.

The Iranian city experienced a major transformation when the Pahlavi Dynasty initiated a project of modernization in the 1920s. The Rite of Urban Passage investigates this process by focusing on the spatial dynamics of Muharram processions, a ritual that commemorates the tragic massacre of Hussein and his companions in 680 CE. In doing so, this volume offers not only an alternative approach to understanding the process of urban transformation, but also a spatial genealogy of Muharram rituals that provides a platform for developing a fresh spatial approach to ritual studies.